Nelson to Collins keys Henderson win over WC East
WEST GOSHEN>>Henderson quarterback Aaron Nelson only threw the ball four times against crosstown rival West Chester East Friday night. But his final throw of the night made all the difference in the world, as he connected with Evan Kearney for a 54-yard touchdown that gave the Warriors (2-7 overall, 2-5 Ches-Mont) a 14-7 victory over the host Vikings (1-9, 1-6).
“I’m really happy for our seniors to be able to close out the season the way we did,” said Henderson coach Bob Brice. “This game always means so much to both teams. It’s been going on now for almost 50 years, no matter what the records are, it’s always special to come away with the win.”
Henderson’s pivotal drive started at their own 20 after the Vikings had tied the game at 7-7 with 6:05 to play. Runs from Brady Collins (74 yards on 18 carries) and Jake Ball (29 yards, 12 carries) brought the ball up near midfield.
Facing a third and long, Nelson dropped back, and delivered a pass over the middle to Kearney, who broke a tackle, then sprinted down the sideline to complete the 54-yard score.
“I knew even before the snap that we were going to score with that play,” said Nelson, who completed three of four passes for 62 yards and the touchdown. “We hadn’t repped that play in a while, but when you have Kearney lined up out there, no one is going to be able to cover him.”
Though the completion was clean, Kearney still had a man to beat before he could kick into his sprint to the end zone.
“I knew it had a shot to be a big play,” said Kearney, who also had an interception on defense. “And once I broke that tackle from their safety, I knew no one was going to catch me. I might have even started celebrating a little early.”
Henderson got on the board first, marching off a 7-play, 53 yard drive, capped by a two-yard plunge from Collins to take a 7-0 lead into the lockeroom at halftime.
The Warrior defense, meanwhile, was keeping the East offense in check, and that lead held up until midway through the fourth period.
Taking over at their own 37, the Vikings, paced by running back Mitch Ragni (14 carries, 47 yards), put together a 9-play, 63-yard drive. Ragni knotted the game with a 3-yard run.
West Chester East, who pulled out a miracle victory over Oxford last week on the game’s final play, looked like they might have some magic left over on their final possession.
With just 1:59 to play, and starting at their own 23, the Vikings found themselves with a fourth and goal and a minute to go.
Four plays later, the Vikings were still ten yards away, and Henderson had their second victory of the season.
“They definitely gave us a scare there,” said Kearney. “But they started getting predictable. We knew who was getting the ball, and we just keyed in on him. Winning feels amazing. This was my first time playing against East, and it was definitely special.”
Henderson 14 West Chester East 7
Henderson 0 7 0 7–14
WC East 0 14 0 6—20
Scoring
Second Quarter
HEN—Collins 2-run (Blando Kick) 7-0
Fourth Quarter
WCE—Ragni 3-run (Gilbert Kick) 7-7
HEN—Kearney 54-pass from Nelson (Blando Kick) 14-7
Team statistics
HEN–WCE
First downs 10—15
Rushes-yards 38-123 40-192
Passing 3-4 5-13
Passing yards 62 46
Total yards 185 238
Punts/avg 3-37.3 2-27
Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-0
Penalties-yards 6-40 5-45
Individual statistics
Rushing—HEN Collins 4-74, TD, Ball 12-29, Nelson 6-11, Garcia 1-5, Foster 2-7 WCE Kulp 19-59, DeRosa 6-25, Wileczek 1-34, Ragni 14-74 TD
Passing — HEN Nelson 3-4 62, TD WCE DeRosa 5-13-46, INT
Receiving—HEN Kearney 2-55, TD, Sellers 1-7 WCE Wileczek 3-31, Trubiano 1-6, Berger 1-9
Sacks—None
Interceptions—HEN Kearney
